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I'm a bit of a sucker for new innovative products, and when I saw this spray plaster on one of my many small- child induced trips to the first aid section, I was intrigued. It seemed very Space Age. I didn't buy any for a while, as at around £6 it seemed a lot to pay for a small 32ml can. As the product's name would suggest the can contains a product that contains a protective film that you spray onto wounds, it dissolves over time.

In a rash supermarket spending moment I finally took the plunge and bought some of this to go on holiday, and having used it now for a couple of months I have to say I am actually converted and think that this product is a great invention.

The spray on plaster comes in a small can which is about 10cms high. They've indicated on the packaging that there is enough in this can for 50 applications, we haven't quite reached this figure but I have used this a fair amount and the can still seems fairly full - a little goes a long way.

The spray plaster is designed to be used on minor cuts and grazes, and
according to the manufacturer should not be used near the eye, nose or mouth, for obvious reasons. More information about the safe use of this product is available on the packaging, and I will also post a link at the bottom of this review, but from my experience this plaster is ideal for grazed knees or cut fingers. You shouldn't spray it on to a cut that is bleeding heavily, and should apply after you have applied pressure to ease bleeding.

When you spray the plaster, it does smell quite plasticky; it reminds me of nail varnish and verrucca paint mixed together, hardly pleasant but not overpoweringly smelly, and thankfully odourless once dry! It is easy to use, and the nozzle makes it easy to direct onto wounds, even those of wiggling children. I find when you spray on the plaster it does sting quite a lot for about 30 seconds, (the can says it might sting for a few seconds, I believe it to be a little longer). The stinging is presumably due to one of the components of this product, it's not painful particularly but you can certainly notice it. After you have sprayed it on it covers a wound with a very thin film that you can not really see with the naked eye, apart from as a slight sheen. It dries fairly quickly, I would say in under a minute. Once dry it's not like a peelable face pack that you can peel off, as I had imagined - though if you did need to remove it, it should dissolve with alchohol wipes. It is sort of like having a new layer of thin artificial skin, which I guess is the point.

Compared to using a normal plaster, this is quicker and easier. The can fits nicely into my handbag for emergency use, and it is good to know that the spray plaster is breathable. I generally apply it having cleaned the wound with water or a wipe.

Recently I cut my thumb and found that a normal plaster was a bit of a hindrance to everyday tasks, such as peeling potatoes and dressing my children. I found that this spray plaster was great on what was a minor niggly cut and after use I could forget that I had a cut thumb at all and just get on as normal. The plaster stayed on through washing up and the usual mundane everyday tasks, and by the time it dissolved my cut was healed. This can is ideal too for those very minor wounds that children get, I find kids are quite comforted by the idea of a plaster as they think it makes them better, so just a small squirt of this, or even actually a small pretend squirt if I deem the wound to be microscopic, seems to be enough.

This item might seem expensive, in fact about twice the price of normal adhesive plasters by my calculations, your can currently buy 40 normal plasters for about £2.50, but I think it is worth it. Prior to having this we used to get through a silly amount of traditional plasters, so careful use of this might actually be cheaper in the long run. Highly recommended.

Ingredients as per the can: Acrylic coploymer, ethyl acetate,pentane, menthol, carbon dioxide. Normal precautions for aerosols apply - there is a very scary "highly flammable" label.

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This seems like the stuff of science fiction! Sadly the spray isn't available in Finland yet so it looks like I will have to pick up a few bottles on my next trip home. I agree with the plaster comment though - my daughter gets a thrill out of showing everybody her patched up "war wounds". Thanks for the review.